With no further ado, the winners of the first 8 seasons of Hell’s Kitchen!

The winner of Hell’s KitchenSeason 1 was Michael Wray. Chef Gordon Ramsay offered Wray the choice of opening a restaurant, or going to London and to learn under Chef Ramsay. Michael chose to learn under Chef Ramsay. Michael later changed his mind before going on the trip because he thought the experience would be too stressful for his family. Now he works as the Executive Head Chef at The Standard in Los Angeles, California. He also owns his own custom chef's knives company called, appropriately, Skull and Cleavers.

Heather West was the winner of Hell's Kitchen Season 2. For the prize, she was to become Executive Chef at an Italian restaurant calledTerra Rossa at Red Rock Resort Spa and Casino in Las Vegas. However, Heather only became Senior Chef. She now works as head chef in a restaurant called Monterey Restaurant in Long Beach, New York.

Rahman "Rock" Harper won Hell's Kitchen Season 3. His prize was to become the Head Chef at Terra Verde at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. He fulfilled his contract as Head Chef for one year. Rahman later worked in restaurants throughout Washington, DC. Rahman joined the staff of a DC restaurant called Next Door in 2008. He supported and helped in the March of Dimes Signature Chef’s Auction in Louisville, Kentucky on November 11th, 2010.

Christina Machamer won Hell's Kitchen Season 4, and the prize to become Executive Chef at theGordon Ramsay at the London West Hollywood Hotel. Instead, she was given the position of Senior Chef under Executive Chef Andy Cook. She then took some time off to study wine and viticulture at The Culinary Institute at Greystone in Napa Valley. Currently, she is a member of the opening team at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Beverly Hills.

Danny Veltri won Season 5 of Hell's Kitchen. He became Sous Chef under Stephen Kalt at Fornelletto at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Originally, he was supposed to be the Head Chef at another restaurant built at the Casino. When he didn’t become Head Chef, Danny quit and began consulting. He then created a catering company called Back From Hell Catering, poking at his experience in "Hell's Kitchen.” He then joined with a group of investors that wanted to create a surf bar with food. He is now Chef of the Gnarly Surf Bar & Grill near the Intracoastal Waterway in Central Florida.

Dave Levey won Hell's Kitchen Season 6, and the prize of Head Chef at Araxi Restaurant and Bar in Whistler, British Columbia. However, as we mentioned earlier, he was treated like a line-cook. He worked at Araxi Restaurant until the end of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Currently, he is in Nashville helping his sister with her music career.

Holli Ugalde won Hell's Kitchen Season 7, which was supposed to follow with the position as Executive Chef at The Savoy in London. However, she could not get a visa to work in theUK. Ugalde called that explanation an excuse, saying, "I don't know if they even applied for my visa." Ugalde accepted an undisclosed amount of cash instead. She now has a job as the Signature Chef of a new restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida called B Ocean.

Nona Sivley won Hell's Kitchen Season 8, along with the prize position as Head Chef at LA Market at JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles as well as the opportunity to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines. She is now working as Chef de Cuisine at LA Market with Celebrity chef Kerry Simon.

It seems there is a serious trend that either HK winners do not get their prize, get the title of the prize, but not the responsibility, or they leave their position as soon as their contract is fulfilled. It almost seems pointless to go through all the pain and suffering that we witness season after season. However, every winner seems to say the same thing about the show… it is the BEST experience of their lives!

Yay! Thanks for posting that! I haven't checked on her in a long time but just came across the article about the winners...

I happened to be in LV when she was still at Terra Rosa, so our group made the LOOOONG taxi ride out to Red Rock Resort and had my birthday dinner there! It was a great experience and she even brought out my slice of cheese cake with a candle on it, sang happy birthday with everyone, and gave me a cute autograph! She's hot.She's sweet!She was one of my favs from HK.

I'm glad to hear she's doing well but bummed she's on the other coast!She's awesome and thanks for posting that update about her.

Danny V. has joined with the Sinatra Family and opened a authentic Italian restaurant call "Sinatra's" It's in a little town called Cassadaga, in central Florida. I haven't been but my friends have a few times and I guess its amazing. They said he came to the table and looked great and was very personable. We'll check it out and I'll report back.

Danny Veltri is no longer @ Gnarley Surf Bar & Grill in New Smyrna Beach, FL. My family & I had lunch there last Friday.. He is back @ Flip Flops, and I have been referred to him about catering my wedding from another caterer that is booked for my day. :-)

Beginning with season 8 the show got incredibly fake and cartoonish. You can tell a lot of these people are hired actors or improv comedians. I really enjoyed the first 7 seasons (other than season 4) but if it doesn't get better with season 9 (I'm catching up) I'm done with the show. Fox is a joke lately and many cable company's no longer carry the channel.

I agree - the characters they put on the show are ridiculous. They are scraping the bottom of the barrel with the type of cooks they use. They are so unpolished. Master Chef at least has real talent in their contestants. Then another step above that are the contestants of Top Chef. But no matter....I watch them all!

I've been watching since night one. I still enjoy it. I'm not sure why the cooks are so crappy the last couple of seasons, but I do know they live on very little sleep and their brains are fogged! I don't know why the skill level seems so shabby now compared to previous years...Master Chef is great! I love all of Gordon Ramsay's shows...not sure if the F Word is still taping, though. :(

The price "as advertised" is being honored (except for Holli, but I think that just before that season finished filming, the UK changed its laws to make it very hard for a foreigner to get a work visa for a position in which somebody from the UK could be hired). It's not Gordon's fault if you infer that "head chef" means "you run the kitchen". In fact, this year, they made it quite clear that the winner, although called a "head chef," would still be working under the restaurant's Executive Chef.

Seems HIGHLY unlikely that a smart businessman like Gordon Ramsay is going to turn over a Las Vegas operation with his name on it to a contest winner. It's 'Reality TV,' folks, you don't expect, uh, reality, do you?

You know, I don't blame him for not using the winners because frankly they suck. Ramsay's restaurants have Michelin stars, some of them are here in America. Do you know how hard it is to have an American restaurant with Michelin stars? Almost impossible. Frankly, I have yet to really see a chef on the show I'm okay with being a head chef at a Michelin star restaurant. Furthermore, even if they don't get the prize they are promised being taught by Ramsay and his number 2 chef is a huge deal. In fact that in it's self is a prize. Michael Wray having the option to learn under Ramsay is such a fantastic option. I don't blame Gordon for not giving them a head chef job because he give them this experience they would never get otherwise, and it opens so many options for them.

I'm with you. Exactly...These guys are not chefs and watching them season after season, I would not give them a restaurant to run.jut because they win doesn't mean they get to ruin someone's reputation. A few weeks does not make a master chef. What they do walk away with is the knowledge and experience that Ramsey gives them that is worth more than money can buy...they should be grateful , they have a great résumé now....

you guys have not done your homework. and im way to tired to explain why you are wrong. you don't like the show it seems. however. i do. but they know by saying "head chef", "your own restaraunt", that most of us don't know that they are not getting anything except money. and they are only with gordon for a few months. not almost a year. They should just call it what it is. that for me would be good enough. but what they did to hollie? that was such a shame. all of them. i think it's really horrible....i don't care what doors you think it opens. it doesn't. not as many as you think. and only the last two or three can take advantage of it. the others are just sheep. Gordon says he hates liers. its his show. he is the lier. and it's getting harder to watch him. i think as a person he sucks now.

Fun show to watch. Disgusting contestants with no talent other than sweating into the food. Always a fat one, an overconfident one, one hated by the others, and all untalented doofus 's. Makes for mindless t.v.

I hate the sweating on the food and it's is always some idiot without enough talent! I thought I'd want to attempt a shot at getting in to eat there but after seeing how food is treated, forget about it.I love mindless TV!!! I don't have to think ON PURPOSE! :)

I read it.. Lazy ass... -.- And i agree I have worked at 2 restaurants throughout my time and have always wondered about the TV chefs hygiene rules .... It is as if it only applies to everybody except TV chefs...

Only the first season advertised winning "their own restaurant", the rest advertise winning "a $250,000 salary as head chef at [insert name of restaurant/location here]" The first guy was offered to instead train under Chef Ramsay directly, which he accepted on the show, but later turned down. It seems the rest (save Holli) got their prize, but the title "head chef" didn't end up meaning "run the kitchen". I assume they still received a $250,000 salary...or else we'd be hearing about it in the news. As far as hygiene...I don't know too many restaurants that insist on hair nets and gloves. I don't know why, but apparently it doesn't violate any health codes...only times I've seen them used are in more manufacturing settings, such as factories or demo carts in a store. I don't make health and safety rules, so I don't know why there's a difference.

Technically they weren't lied to. Gordon states that they have the opportunity to become the head chef, and a quarter of a million dollar salary. He never says they actually 'get' to run the their own restaurant right away. It's kind of like when something says 'up to and including'. It means it's possible, but not a full on guarantee. More than likely it's worded that way because they'll get the time to work under the executive chef and learn how to actually run it. Like a rookie sitting the bench and learning from the veteran.

This is right. He never says that they will be the chef but get to have the opportunity to become the chef but of course most of them do not meet that standard of quality so end up leaving with some going on to other ownerships or other types of work even but they do get the money no matter which they choose to do

I saw all kitchen nightmares and I mean all. watched every season of hells kitchen, seen both seasons of master chef and watch hotel hell, I do want gordons cookbooks. He is obviously a great chef, just read a article, that his step father ripped off his restaurant,that his empire started to fall in 2011. but i cant believe reading this here that the winners of hells kitchen dont actually get their positions. But yes going into any restaurant saying you were under gordon's wing will get you alot of jobs, but damn does he make you look like shit. he is my favorite chef love to meet him and get treated like shit,but kitchen nightmares read up on it. alot of the restaurants dont make it. in the UK someone said 8 out of 22 only made it, that because people cant change in a week or two he goes into restaurants that are shitty with a lazy or stubborn owner that will make a great show. he gets paid 250 thousand a episode. checked his net worth seems 50 to 118 million cant seem to get the right answer. anyway im up at 3 am right now and watching the first season i started watchin it at the 4th season. and thats when I really liked his mean dictator ass (not homo way) but I want his recipes still didnt get his cook books. but honestly i worked in alot of restaurants , to make it in a restaurant as a owner nowadays IS NEXT to impossible that is why i wont go to culinary school if i do for that it will be a back up just to know. but anyway wow cant believe alot of chefs dont get their promised position.but I always like to look alot of info up like this blog i just finding by googling something about the show, Like first season so flipino girl is his sous chef then I remember andi a cute blond sous chef. also that belgum whatever ya spell it. GERMAN maitre de Pierre left all i kept reading was he left to run ramsays restaurant and some other gaylord french guy named james took his spot. anyway i just like to hear if sous chefs said F you ramsay and left him or sous chef. next week starts season 11 and i read just a minute ago that pierre guy is coming back what happened to james that french guy i was just talking about. anyway BIG diffirent from the very first season to 11th just a way about it.any questions email me at gtf1083@hotmail.com

He also has another show... http://www.bbcamerica.com/gordon-ramsays-ultimate-cookery-course/ It's absolutely fantastic!

As for Kitchen Nightmares, did you see the where are they 1 yr later episodes? You would know that some or most, made it. Always do a follow up.

As for his staff on HK...Scott does his own thing in addition to HK. If you read his bio it states he's even went to London and worked at one of Gordon's restaurants.He also consults with Gordon on Kitchen Nightmares. So, he wasn't ran off.Andi is very involved with Gordon's empire. Here is an excerpt from her bio on Fox: " has worked with Chef Gordon Ramsay as Sous Chef for the past six seasons on HELL'S KITCHEN and the last three seasons of KITCHEN NIGHTMARES. She has helped open Chef Ramsay’s restaurants in Montreal, Canada and Gordon Ramsay Steak in Las Vegas. As Sous Chef, she keeps the teams and restaurants on task and performing up to Gordon Ramsay's unrelenting standards. Additionally, she is currently working on MASTERCHEF as a Culinary Producer and is set to go on the road again with Chef Ramsay to film HOTEL HELL later this Spring.."

I think if we don't see someone, it's probably because they're doing they're own engagements or something else for Gordon.

You sounds like you might have a blast on Top Chef! If you ever do something like that, I hope you post so we can cheer you on!

one more thing, I think the treatment on HK is rather a boot camp for them...if they can handle enormous stress and Gordon's chew, they can handle ANYTHING. He's not an ass but he can surely be an ass. It's not about his ego...it's about quality and the customers. :)

It's television, duh. They choose people who will make great drama. I've never gone through the process of becoming a contestant on a reality show before, but I bet the people on Hell's Kitchen are picked by their personality as much as their cooking skill--if not moreso!

Looking at all these comments to see if anyone else was scammed like myself as I replied to an ad to be a contestant on Master Chef. The guy interviewed me on the phone , at the end asking for me to pay a fee claiming to be a talent agent for all of these reality shows. I'm wondering please enlighten me , do these Hells Kitchen contestants have to pay a fee as well?

I do believe the show is real in the most part as in the cooking, weekly challenges and dislike against other competitors. What I know is fake and its normal practice is the fighting that goes on between the competitors. A lot of that are the producers trying to make small things make something bigger to make it more entertaining to watch. Plus the time when they are alone on camera talking about what happen are pick out that made not have something to do what happen that day to make it seem like someone is stupid or miss up. Anything to keep the story interesting.

Prizes are misleading to the viewers more then the contestants. They sign legal contract that states the prize can be swope out for something else aka money if they feel they can't do the job to the fullest. That keeps the winner happy and they will not sue or less likely not to.

My final thought about Ramsey is entertaining and a good chef but I do think he general don't care about anything but fame and getting himself on TV. He already had 3 shows on FOX and was trying to get a 4th one going and FOX reject the idea of having 4 shows about Ramsey.

He like to use his homeless brother to make people sorry for him and that he deals with problems too. Funny how he can help his get clean by getting him to a real nice rehab place. I remember he said that he hate piers but when why did he cheated on his wife with 4 kids with an other woman?

Gordon is not new to tv. He's been on the BBC channel forever. Kitchen Nightmares didn't start here. He also has a cookery class on the BBC channel, as well. did you happen to see the one where he goes to the prison (UK) and teach the inmates to cook?

He's a business man. He always has been. He does whatever anyone who creates success, does. He didn't get those Michelin stars by tv fame, ya know. He is a chef and food is his calling.

As far as the cheating goes....I haven't found anything yet to prove it but I'll keep looking. Afterall, it was a handful of years ago that the skank Sarah, came out with it. Lots of ground to cover to see how it unfolded since then. So far I'm seeing that she wanted some fame doing her own show..which leads me to believe she's twisting things like a snake in the grass...

Worthy? They cooked for a month on a Television reality show that can edit anything and everything. People out of culinary school aren't handed the keys to a top level hotel restaurant in Vegas, LA, London, etc. Worthy...What a joke.

Rock seemed to be good on Television, but isn't an "Executive" anywhere. He works for some DC food company who cater to homeless, but somehow...is worthy of the title, HA!

This show has gone to Hell, literally. There's only one legit cooking competition show left on TV, and it's no doubt, Top Chef. At least Top Chef has top level talent nominated for James Beard's, have been granted or nominated for Michelin star status, or are already head or executive chefs, ie Voltagio brothers. Hell's Kitchen has contestants fresh out of culinary school, are prep or line cooks, work out of a food truck, a lunch line, or your corner shit box. Who cares who wins, they are all par at best, except who I think has the best Post HK job, and that's Nona.

I'm a Chef Ramsey fan. Been in the restaurant business a long time, started as a dishwasher just out of high school. Worked my way up the old fashioned way, turned down 2 offers for "head chef" over the years and never been to culinary school.

Anyway, there's a couple things I really have a strange impulse to comment on. First, anyone (contestant or viewer) who actually believes the winner of HK will be handed a real "head chef" position is utterly delusional. Also, almost none of the winners hint that they were "lied to" and most are still fans / supporters of Ramsey's, this would indicate that the advertised position is for the fans benefit and the contestants are given something much closer to reality. Ergo Ramsey is neither a fraud nor a liar, bottom line if you want a successful reality / game show in the US, you need big drama and big prizes.

Second, I've worked in several restaurants over the years, and only one even came close to following the "Serv-Safe" rules, and they inevitably ran themselves out of business. Although I've never seen anything near as bad as some episodes of Kitchen Nightmares either. Most restaurants run as safe as possible while still making money. I've only seen a couple restaurants that require actual hair-nets, but ALL require hair to be tied back and covered with at-least a hat. I was rather shocked that HK "chefs" often have no covers at all, but note that most cooks in Kitchen Nightmares do. As for the tasting aspect, it's a catch 22, as a chef you need to taste what your cooking, every dish, even if it's something you personally don't like. Doing so in an accepted "safe" manner is virtually impossible, but you do try.

Obviously Chef Ramsey exaggerates how bad the food is on the first tasting in Kitchen Nightmares, on the other hand, if the food was "really good" they wouldn't be in the situation they are in either. It's surprisingly easy for cooks / chefs who are passionate about food to fall into a comfortable, easy routine of taking shortcuts until food quality goes from really good to just edible. Especially when the cash flow is such that you cannot afford "extra" hands for basic prep and your salary chef is pretty much stuck doing all of it. Easy shortcuts become a sad necessity, and food quality drops fast, often without even noticing. Those aspects are not as "unrealistic" as some of you seem to be saying.

Hells Kitchen picks under talented line cooks instead of aspiring, young, up and coming chefs to create a Fox dog and pony show. I have been to a couple of ex soccer player Ramseys restaurants and the food was quite ordinary and very overpriced.

I would award that donkey a Firestone retread as opposed to the Michelin star he probably bought.

Most reality/games shows on TV do not exactly deliver the "grand prize" as advertised. America's got talent's million dollars is paid over more than 35 yrs..The big contracts with companies and agencies are usually only valid for about a year or two and if the contestants don't magically flourish and capture the loves of adoring fans, food and critics they disappear very quickly because if they were really that great they would have been discovered eventually..Which then results in the lawsuits and complaining. Never mind Uncle Sam coming in and taking his chunk. Reality shows are for entertainment.They go for the wow factor. So all the finger pointing and animosity, hate and calling people liars says to me that maybe you should probably sign up up for one of these shows. Because apparently common sense and the ability to read is lacking as is evidenced by those contestants who try to sue or bring out a "tell all" claiming they were duped.

I've always felt the contestants are chosen more for their extreme personality traits. often being exhibited in the form of obnoxiousness, amazing stupidity, or ineptitude. The same mix of characters is always there with a few on them possessing enough ability and intelligence to actually be credible head chefs. Let's face it, this is TV entertainment, and ratings placement is no. 1 -- anything to do with cooking isn't of much concern to the producers. So I just watch it for what it is and find it more of a comedy than a serious culinary competition. Gordon's humor is certainly...RAW...RAW...RAW!

Hell's Kitchen is a blatant fraud and Gordon Ramsay should be sued blind for perpetrating it. In 12 seasons, HK has yet to produce a notable chef, even by accident. Burning scallops, quick-cooking rissotto and frozen Beef Wellington every week grew mold years ago.

If Season 11 winner Ja'Nel Witt is the wasted cokehead Caesar's Palace drug tests claim she is, there's no way Ramsay failed to notice that during a month of show filming. He never had anyintention of giving her the $250K Las Vegas job, despite her significant education and professional qualifications. He knew from the start that she'd fail the drug tests, giving him a legal exit.

Ramsay is a bottom-feeder. I've never wanted to dine at any of his restaurants.

You are truly delusional if you actually believe that nonsense, the show is not a "fraud" and if anyone's a "bottom feeder" it's you.

some people only use drugs every once in a while(the people on Deadliest Catch for example had to use meth and coke to be able to stay awake for 40 hours on end, but they didn't have crippling addictions or anything like that) and there's no way Janell used on the show, she would've been caught very fast, and you can't always tell when someone is on drugs just by looking at them, some people are very good at hiding their habits, so i'm sure Ramsay was every bit as shocked as everyone else.

Maybe winning the prize is never the best after all, you cant take away the great exposure it gives to the winners. They are better off as it opened more opportunities. Most investors would fancy opening something with them after this...All the best to them...

It would seem that not only do the chefs who win HK don't actually get the job that they're promised, but with Scott winning season 12, there is also a definite and noticeable trend that men of size are not allowed to be winners, either. A couple of plump women have won, which is a good thing, but the men apparently must be prettyboys in addition to having the talent. Maybe that explains why Chef Graham Elliot Boweles had to slim down to almost nothing for 'Masterchef'. Anorexic-sized pretty boys must be the new black. Good thing I'm not into fashion!

No, it's because his opponent (Jason was it??) was a loud-mouthed D-bag with misogynistic qualities. Scott got along well with the women from the getgo- you not only have to be a fantastic cook, but at least a decent team-player as well to win in HK.

Holli didn't get her job as promised because the U.K. immigration laws were changed to be much more strict while her season was right in the middle of filming( the new laws specifically prohibit people from taking a job overseas as a prize from a game show, so there was no way the producers could give Holli the job, even if she applied for a visa herself it most likely would not have been accepted), and by the time the producers found out it was far too late for them to do anything about it, it was just an unfortunate situation all around, but Holli is still doing pretty well today as she has her own organic ranch.